If an unfortunate fire accidentally took place on Burj Khalifa’s 203rd floor any day next year, people inside could count themselves lucky – lucky that Dubai, globally known for its skyscrapers and technological leadership, is the first country to introduce jetpacks to their firefighting first response units.
Firefighters vertically propelled one kilometer high to extinguish a blaze may sound like science-fiction, but this is Dubai today. The New Zealand company Martin Aircraft has just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai’s Directorate of Civil Defence for the intended delivery of manned and unmanned jetpacks, plus simulators and training to the Civil Defence and Fire Service personnel meant to fly them.
Though the company has been working on the creation of practical jetpacks since 1997, this First Responder Jetpack will be their first commercial product and will be available for deliveries from the second half of 2016. The awaited aircraft is expected to be worth about $250,000 (£380,600) and entities, agencies or governments can already show interest on its purchase on their website.
The First Responder Jetpack will be used by the Dubai government with the purpose of accessing hard-to-get places in emergency situations, like fires. But the company takes pride that, in addition to “saving human lives”, the machine can also be useful in sectors such as border security, command and control, agriculture, disaster recovery or pipeline inspections. In addition to the wide spectre of usages this Jetpack model offers, Martin Aircraft are planning to widen their target public and increase their sales by commercialising leisure-focused Jetpack Experiences and, by 2017, Personal Jetpacks.
